Seattle @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 25, 2010 ) Seattle 3, Milwaukee 8
The most potent offense in the National League is starting to hit its stride, and the Seattle Mariners are the latest victims.
The Milwaukee Brewers will be looking to ride their surging offense to a sixth straight win when they face the Mariners again on Saturday.
The league leaders in home runs with the likes of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Corey Hart in the lineup, the Brewers added a new member to the power club in Friday’s series opener.
Rookie catcher Jonathan Lucroy clubbed the first homer of his career - a three-run shot that tied the game in the fourth inning. Of course the next batter, Carlos Gomez, homered as well to put Milwaukee on top for good.
A third round draft pick of the Brewers back in 2007 - Lucroy has four multi-hit games in his last nine starts, including two hits on Friday.
Hart, who has hit in 10 straight games, has been leading the charge this season with 18 homers and 55 RBIs, while Fielder has hit 14 homers and second baseman Rickie Weeks has added 12.
Seattle saw a six-game winning streak of its own come to an end on Thursday and just does not seem to have the offense to compete. The Mariners’ pitching staff allowed a total of two runs during its winning streak, but the offense only managed to score more than two runs twice in that span.
If the pitching does not come through, Seattle appears to have little chance. Ryan Rowland-Smith - the weak link in an otherwise strong rotation - allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings on Friday.
The Mariners will activate right-hander Doug Fister from the 15-day disabled list to make the start on Saturday. The 26-year-old sophomore starter was one of the big surprises of the first two months, coming into the season without much hype and posting one of the top three ERAs in the American League.
Fister had not allowed more than three runs in a start before an outing against the Minnesota Twins on May 31, when he yielded five runs and eight hits in 7 2/3 innings. He was placed on the disabled list the next day with right shoulder fatigue. Fister allowed three home runs in that start against the Twins after surrendering two in his first nine outings combined.
Surviving on pinpoint control, Fister has issued just 10 walks in 69 2/3 innings this season.
The Brewers will counter with veteran Randy Wolf, who seems to be turning his season around.
Signed to a three-year, $29.75 million contract prior to the season, Wolf was struggling along with a 4-6 record and a 5.31 ERA after getting rocked for eight runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Cubs on June 9.
He has begun to provide Milwaukee with some return on its investment in his last two starts, allowing a total of three runs and six hits in 14 combined frames.
Wolf won his lone interleague start this season with seven solid innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and has faced Seattle twice before, going 0-2 while allowing six runs and 15 hits in 9 2/3 total innings.